Mark Folds

Mark Folds - Lovespoon

Here's a little more about the work showing in Oriel Myrddin Gallery's current show, Outsider.

Mark Folds is a sculptor based near Newcastle Emlyn in west Wales, he moved here from Peckham in south London a few years back. Mark was the fella behind I Love Peckham, a one man campaign in the 1990's to love Peckham by anonymously mending dilapidated street furniture and transforming benches into art pieces. Badges, T shirts and a range of I Love Peckham seaside rock followed. The name has now been adopted by Southwark Council for their annual festival - so i guess Mark's hard work payed off - Peckham is loved!

In 2009 Mark had a solo show with Oriel Myrddin Gallery, Comfort Zone which posed a few questions about the low-flying jets we have an abundance of in west Wales. He installed a scale down version of a Tornado jet in the gallery space covered with raw sheeps' wool (accompanied by interesting aroma). On the hills around Carmarthen town, Mark sited giant sheep motifs cut from carpet - a little message to the pilots and a bit of fun for the residents - one did get sabotaged by Friday night revellers, but it's all part of the story in the end.

For Outsider, Mark has carved a giant lovespoon, here's a paragraph from Sue Griffith's catalogue essay for the show: "Mark Folds began referencing the Welsh tradition of the lovespoon some years ago, after relocating to Wales from London. The text on these large scale sculptures speaks of the uncertainties of love and commitment, and also evokes the irony of the object itself, once meaningful and rich in history, and now a tourist 'nick-nack' available in kitsch gift shops. They can be read as bleakly humorous, or hopeful - we smile, because we know that despite the irony, we will still commit to loving" Sue Griffith